Topic: Weird 350F Carburetor

[Dr. Frankenstein]

I'm tinkering around with a '72 350F basket case I have, putting it together and seeing what's what, but came across this weird 'situation' with the carb - I got this one off of eBay, PO said it needed to be rebuilt but no biggie there, I rebuild all the carbs I get. It certainly does need to be rebuilt - when I opened it up, 3 out of the 4 floats were gummed up and didn't want to move at all - again, not surprising - and the main jets (once I gently pried them out with a little heat and some PB/Kroil) looked like someone had poured resin into them, they were so clogged. The slides also don't move, but of course I'll take the whole thing apart and clean it up.

Okay, so the carb has seen some use and the PO left gas in it or something, right...? The weird thing is the carb bowls - they look absolutely pristine! You'd think if there was old gas in there it would've left a stain or a residue or something behind, but No...! It's like they were replaced with new ones...

The other pic I have of the carb soaking is me trying to loosen up the float pins - the #3 floats/pin are super tight, I have it soaking in some parts cleaner to see if I can loosen it up, but it doesn't seem to want to give it up. Getting those tiny pins out is going to prove difficult. And speaking of tight, the arm on the link-set was so tight in its hole that it wouldn't open the butterfly valves at all! I hit it with some PB and finally got it to where it will turn, but it squeaks when I do!   

And last but not least, I managed to get all the slow jets out EXCEPT! for number 4, the tip of which managed to snap off INSIDE the hole! Luckily (?) it's just the tip left in there, below the threaded part, so I have high hopes to be able to dissolve all the old gas or whatever is in there and possibly blow it out with compressed air...such is the art of carburetor restoration; but back to the original question - why are the bowls so pristine??

[bryanj]

Stored upside dowm?

[Dr. Frankenstein]

I have no idea - possibly; but why?? I guess the PO could've just tossed it into a parts pile where it laid until I came along.

But work progresses. Soaking the floats in parts cleaner did absolutely nothing for it, but yesterday I managed to get the stuck float pins out with the help of a center punch, some precision heat and PB Blaster - Man, talk about nerve-wracking! Pushing down on the pin in those delicate old float posts with a center punch until it goes *click* while they're still in the posts can really make you sweat. Twice I thought for sure I had snapped a post or two, but luckily I managed to get them all out; took over an hour!

I managed to strip them all down with the exception of the needle jets and slides - each and every one is frozen in place. I got all the link-arm parts out (even the little felt rings) and plan to boil them to loosen everything up. I even found some sort of crusty old insect egg inside the seat for the "T" fuel passage!      This carb is going to be a bear, but I love doing this stuff.

[carnivorous chicken]

It is a bit of a mystery but I'm sure there's an explanation. Maybe someone wanted to get to work rebuilding them and step one was to clean the float bowls. Then that person realized that with the amount of resin that was in there trying to free the floats was a risk for broken towers -- so better to sell them dirty and intact than clean and broken... Just a guess.

[Ozzybud]

Ultrasonic cleaner @180⁰ and some good carb solution for 20-30  minutes will loosen all that stuff up.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Well, one man's trash is another man's treasure!  I spent a great afternoon in the garage - y'know those days where you get busy and really get 'into it' /The Zone so much so that a cold beer afterwards tastes like heaven? Yeah, I had one of those days. I got the carbs apart, got the frozen link arm out (it wouldn't even TURN!), got it cleaned, lubed and back in, and the garage gods even threw me a bone so I was able to get the tip of the slow jet out after it broke off below the threads IN the carb! I drilled that sucker out by hand straight down the hole! Cleaned all the passageways and got them all clear, the slides work beautifully now after I boiled and cleaned them..."I didn't even have to use my AK/Today was a good day!"

Ozzy - I soaked them for a good day and half in Gunk carb cleaner but it didn't do anything to loosen them up like boiling them did. I threw them all in the Ultrasonic afterwards, it cleaned them up further. I have a vapor blaster too, and have had no problems using fine glass bead to clean up carb bodies (and Yes, I am very meticulous about cleaning all the passageways, nooks and crannies), but I'm thinkin' I might use my soda blaster instead; it takes longer, but it eliminates the worry of stray glass beads going anywhere.

[Ozzybud]

Great wins!